Alfred held (Name) in his lap while Matthew rummaged through a box filled with party decorations. âRemember, (Name), you have to be quiet until Francis and Arthur turn the lights on, okay?â Alfred said.
âWhy do I have to be quiet, Alfie?â (Name) asked, pouting with her cheeks puffed out.
âBecause itâs their surprise,â Matthew said. âIf you make any noise, the surprise could be ruined. You donât want that to happen, do you?â
âNo!â (Name) shook her head as Alfred stood up with her in his arms.
âThen you can stay quiet for just a minute, right?â
âIâll try.â Alfred put (Name) down in her playpen and gave some toys to her.
âIâll get you out of here when weâre finished decorating the living room, okay?â
âBut I wanna help!â (Name) stood up in her play pen and tried getting out of it before Alfred set her back down.
âItâll be better if you stay in here, (Name). Weâre going to be using a ladder, and ladders are dangerous for little girls remember?â he said as he poked her nose.
âBut Iâm a big girl,â (Name) pouted with her puffed up cheeks again, making Alfred snicker at how adorable his little sister looked right now.
âWe know, but we donât want you getting hurt.â
âIt wonât take that long,â Matthew said as he finished getting all of the decorations out of the box. âOnly a few minutes and weâll get you back out of your playpen.â
âFine,â (Name) said before plopping down in her playpen and playing with Alfredâs Captain America and Thor action figures.
Alfred climbed onto the ladder as Matthew handed the decorations up to him, watching as he strung them up along the base of the ceiling. They strung the words âHappy Fatherâs Dayâ in the middle of the room and put confetti blasters behind the couch where they would be hiding it. It felt like forever, to (Name) anyway, before Alfred and Matthew were finished putting the decorations up in the living room. Matthew went to the kitchen to get the food ready and Alfred picked (Name) up out of her playpen, handing her a small, rectangular package. âI want you to give this to Francis and Arthur after we yell surprise, okay?â
(Name) took the package from Alfred and looked at it, wondering what could be inside it. âWhat is it, Alfie?â
Alfred rubbed her head and picked her up. âItâs a surprise.â
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
âTheyâre coming,â Matthew said as he was watching Francis and Arthur get closer to home from the window. Alfred turned off the living room lights and went to hide behind the couch, carrying (Name) and letting Matthew join him. âRemember, (Name), stay quiet.â
âOkay, Mattie,â (Name) said, covering her mouth to stay quiet and waited for Francis and Arthur to walk through the door.
(Name) was bursting with anticipation as the door opened and the light to the living room came on. Alfred and Matthew shot the confetti blasters from behind the couch and stood up, both of them holding (Name) up. âSurprise!â They shouted as they rose from their hiding spots.
Francis and Arthur stood in the doorway, apparently surprised, before taking in the sight of the decorations and went to join Matthew, Alfred, and (Name) where they stood. âMy my, is all of this for us?â Francis asked as he rubbed his nose with (Name)âs, causing her to laugh as he kissed her forehead.
âOf course it is!â Alfred said. âItâs Fatherâs Day so we threw a surprise party for you. Youâre the ones who raised us after all.â
âThe least we could do was set up this party for you,â Matthew said. â(Name) has something to give to you, too.â
(Name) held out the package that Alfred had given to her to Francis and Arthur. Arthur took it and started unwrapping it. Francis and Arthurâs hearts filled with warmth when they saw a picture of all of them on Fatherâs Day of last year, which showed Francis and Arthur holding (Name)âs hand along with Alfred and Matthew sitting by her side. The picture was in a neat frame with a yellow ribbon tied onto it. Francis and Arthur hugged all of them.
âThank you, all of you,â Arthur said.
âThis is the best Fatherâs Day present weâve gotten so far,â Francis said.
âJust wait until we get to the food!â Alfred said with a big grin on his face.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At night time, when Alfred and Matthew were cleaning up the decorations to let Francis and Arthur sleep and (Name) was supposed to be in bed, she snuck out of her room and knocked on Francis and Arthurâs bedroom door, holding the teddy bear that Francis gave to her when she was born and the blanket that Arthur gave to her on her first birthday.
Arthur opened the door and kneeled down to (Name). âArenât you supposed to be in bed?â he asked as he picked her up. âIs something bothering you, love?â
(Name) shook her head and snuggled closer to Arthur. âI want to sleep here tonight.â
Francis was starting to worry, seeing as how (Name) only snuck out of her room to sleep with them when she was having nightmares. âYouâre not having any nightmares, are you?â
(Name) shook her head as Arthur laid her down on the bed in between them. âI just want to sleep with both of you tonight.â
âWell if thatâs what you want,â Francis said as he tucked (Name) in, lying down on the right side of her, Arthur lying on the left. She snuggled between them and took their hands into her own.
âI love you both,â (Name) said before yawning and drifting off to sleep.
âWe love you too,â Francis and Arthur said, holding her hands and wrapping their arms around her. This really was the best Fatherâs Day they could have ever hoped for.
